MAGYAR HONVÉD
2303

THE HUNGARIAN ARMY

INTRODUCTION

One of Europe's small nations, Hungary boasts a
modestly sized professional military which has seen
occasional international service, including recent
deployments to the French Arm. Close relations with
Austrovenia have allowed both nations to "punch
above their weight" in terms of military systems
procurement and development.

#2.) Less II Engineer Battalion, which is
forward deployed as part of 4 Combined Arms
Division.

#3.) 77. Katonai Hírszerzés Ezred
is directly subordinate to the Army's General
Staff, but receives administrative and logistical
support from 1st Combined Arms Division.

ARMY LEVEL AND DIVISIONAL ORGANIZATION

The current organization of the Hungarian Army dates
to the 2250s and 2260s, when a number of reforms were
instituted, many of which (such as overall force
strength) were incorporated into the 2264 national
constitution. Overall command of the military is
vested in the office of the Prime Minister, who exercises
military authority through the Military General Staff,
which controls all Army, Air Force, and mobilized
National Police Forces.

The Army itself is divided into four divisions, all of
which are referred to as "combined arms
divisions," replacing the earlier practice of
dividing divisions into armored (páncél) and
infantry (gyalogos) divisions. The formation
of combined arms divisions also resulted in the
elimination of various independent brigades, so that
units which are really army-level assets (such as the
10th Engineering Brigade, and 77th Military Intelligence
Regiment) and those which were traditionally independent
units (such as the 1st Parachute Brigade) are placed
under the administrative control of divisional
headquarters.

In theory, each division is capable of carrying out a
full range of combat operations. In practice,
however, this is not the case, with only the 2nd and 4th
Divisions being adequately equipped and trained to
conduct division-level operations. The 1st
Division, in the Budapest area, is home to the Army's two
expeditionary units (1st Parachute Brigade and 3rd Tank
Brigade) which have their own organic support elements
and would, in wartime, most likely revert to independent
brigades, while the division is otherwise tasked with
peacetime control of various Army-level combat support
and combat service support assets. Third Division,
on the Austrovenian border, is a tiny formation whose
force strength only constitutes a reinforced brigade; in
the event of war it would likely be tasked with
overseeing rear area security and controlling mobilized
National Police units.

COMPOSITION OF BRIGADES

Each combat arms brigade of the Hungarian Army
consists of four manuever battalions, an artillery
battalion, and a number of company sized support units
(reconnaissance, engineer, medical, air defense, military
intelligence, etc.). Generally speaking, two of the
manuever battalions and one battery of the artillery
battalion are made up of reservists, with selected
personnel in the support companies also being
reservists. Total reserve personnel in a typical
brigade amounts to something in the vicinity of 40% of
total manpower.

The 1st Parachute Brigade and 3rd Tank Brigade, both
stationed in the Budapest area are exceptions to this
general pattern, with only one reserve battalion per
brigade. These two units are maintained at the
highest state of readiness, and are the only elements of
the Hungarian Army which would be readily available for
foreign deployment or missions outside of territorial
defense. In keeping with their potential deployment
mission, the two brigades each have their own organic
logistics battalion (other brigades are reliant on
divisional support assets) and other assets to allow
independent operations, as needed.

Note that under current tables of
organization, there is no difference between a Tank and
Huszár units. Prior to the block adoption of the
AC-8, the former employed tracked tanks and the latter
hovertanks, and the difference in nomenclature is purely
historic (though Tank and Huszár formations tend to have
different institutional cultures).

Composition of Brigades
(Company and Smaller Support Units Omitted)

Tank

Reserve
Tank

Mounted Rifle

Reserve
Mounted
Rifle

Rifle

Reserve
Rifle

Brigade
Artillery

Divisional Artillery

Reserve Divisional Artillery

Cmbt Engineer Bn.

Logistics
Bn

1 Para

3

1

1

2 Huszár

1

1

1

1

1

3 Tank

2

1

1

1

1

4 Mtn

1

2

1

1

5 Huszár

1

1

1

1

1

6 Tank

1

1

1

1

1

7 Tank

1

1

1

1

1

8 Mtn

1

2

1

1

9 Tank

1

1

1

1

1

10 Eng

4

11 Arty

1

2

12 Arty

2

1

13 Arty

1

1

14 Ary

2

COMPOSITION OF SELECTED BATTALION UNITS

The Hungarian Army prefers to maintain
"pure" battalion organizations which, during
operations, cross-attach units to form combined arms task
forces (referred to as Csata Csoport, usually
abbreviated "CC"). As such, their
battalions have a fairly straightforward organization
compared to many comparable twenty-fourth century
militaries. The following descriptions focus on
combat systems and do not include various logistics
assets, soft-skinned transport, etc.

At present, there is little difference in equipment
between active and reserve battalions, though not all
reserve tank/huszár battalions have received the new
P-97 version of the AC-8, and reserve Mounted Rifle units
do not employ the P-98 HIFV.

Tank/Huszár Battalion

Equipped with modernized versions of the venerable
AC-8 hovertank, the Tank and Huszár battalions of the
Army's heavy brigades represent its primary striking
power in a manuever battle. Each battalion is
composed of three Tank/Huszár Companies (nomenclature
differs by unit), each composed of thirteen P-97
hovertanks, split into four platoons of three, plus a
headquarters tank. The Headquarters company
includes a fire-support platoon with three 120mm MRLs
(P-86E's), an air defense platoon with three P-86D SHORAD
vehicles, and a reconnaissance platoon (two P-97 tanks
and two P-86A hover APCs), as well as medical,
maintenance, and other logistical assets.

Mounted Rifle Battalion

Mounted Rifle Battalions are configured to support
Tank/Huszár battalions in mobile warfare or, with
support, to lead more deliberate assaults or fighting in
close terrain. Besides the headquarters company
with the same assets as listed for the Tank/Huszár
battalion (except that the reconnaissance platoon is
comprised of four P-86A's, and has no tanks), the
battalion is made up of one armored infantry companies (Pancélgyalogos Század)
and two mounted rifle companies (Lovasított
Gyalogság Század), which differ primarily in that
the armored infantry utilize the new P-98 hover IFV while
the mounted rifle units employ the older P-86 HIFV.

Each mounted rifle company consists of twenty P-86
hover infantry fighting vehicles (including derivatives
such as ambulances, fire support vehicles, etc.), split
into three rifle platoons, a weapons platoon, and a
headquarters section made up of one P-86E command
vehicle, an armored ambulance, armored TOC, and a number
of soft skinned vehicles.

Each rifle platoon consists of three P-86A HIFVs and a
P-86B fire support vehicle (this last usually commanded
by the platoon sergeant). Each HIFV carries a squad
of six infantrymen, led by a junior NCO (usually a Örvezetö),
and is armed with four GK-84 binary assault rifles and
two GK-84G binary assault rifles with 30mm grenade
launchers.

Weapons platoons consist of five vehicles: a pair of
P-86F mortar carriers, and three standard P-86A
HIFVs. The three HIFVs collectively carry three
assault teams (two men, armed with a Type 1 High Energy
Gun and two GK-84 rifles), three anti-armor teams (again,
two men, armed with a Panzerfaust 85 ATGM launcher
and two GK-84 rifles), and three sniper teams, each armed
with a K-93 7.5mm gauss sniper rifle and a GK-84G assault
rifle. Standard doctrine has one of each team ride
in each HIFV, though some units attach some or all of the
weapons teams directly to the Rifle Platoons,
particularly when units are understrength, and retain the
three HIFVs as a mechanized anti-tank team.

Armored infantry companies are similar to mounted
rifle units, except that the P-98 replaces the P-86
(though the company still utilizes P-86 based specialist
vehicles such as command posts, ambulances, etc.).
In addition, each rifle platoon consists of four P-98
HIFVs, with the fourth vehicle carrying specialist teams
such as are found in the mounted rifle weapons company
(i.e. one sniper team, anti-armor team, and assault team
per vehicle). The weapons platoon is deleted from
the armored infantry company and replaced with an Assault
Pioneer Platoon (Harcos Utász Rendorosztag) of
four P-98s, each carrying a six man Pioneer Squad, armed
with four GK-84s and two GK-84Gs.

Rifle Battalion

These formations include both Parachute and Mountain
infantry units, which are organized identically.
Each battalion includes a headquarters company, with an
organic mortar platoon (four 120mm mortars), air defense
platoon (six two-man Hornisse missile teams) and a
reconnaissance platoon. The latter is mounted on
eight range trucks, half of which are armed with Luchs
ATGM launchers and 7.5mm binary machineguns and the other
half with A-4 plasma guns (total strength of the recon
platoon is 32 men, three per Luchs vehicle, and
five per plasma gun vehicle).

The battalion includes three infantry companies, each
made up of three rifle platoons and a weapons
platoon. The former breaks down into a headquarters
(platoon leader, platoon sergeant, medic and
communications specialist), and three squads of ten
men. Each squad breaks down into two teams of five,
one led by the squad leader and the other by his
assistant. Squad armament consists of four GK-84,
four GK-84Gs, and two GP-90 machineguns.

The weapons platoon consists of a headquarters and
four squads, as follows: A Sniper Squad (six men in
three teams of two, with three K-93s and three GK-84Gs),
an Assault Squad (ten men armed with five Type 1 High
Energy Guns), an Anti-Tank Squad (six men with three
PzFaust 85 ATGM launchers) and a Mortar Squad with eight
men and two 80mm mortars.

Brigade Artillery Battalion

Each Brigade Artillery Battalion consists of a
Headquarters Battery, equipped with various marks of the
P-88 armored personnel carrier, and three firing
batteries each of one P-88A tactical operations center,
six P-86E 120mm multiple rocket launchers and six P-88C
logistics support vehicles. Note that one battery
in each battalion is a reserve formation.

Reconnaissance Battalion

Divisional assets tasked with conducting close,
intermediate, and deep reconnaissance, each
Reconnaissance Battalion includes a range of assets,
consisting of a battalion headquarters company, two Close
Reconnaissance Companies, a UAV Reconnaissance Company,
and a Long-Range Reconnaissance Company.

The battalion headquarters is mounted on various P-86
and P-88 series vehicles and includes a robust
communications section, as well as a military
intelligence and a signals intelligence/electronic
warfare platoon. Each of the two Close
Reconnaissance Companies consists of a headquarters
section (two P-97 hovertanks), and four reconnaissance
platoons (each two P-97 hovertanks and two P-86A hover
IFVs, each with four dismount scouts armed with two
GK-84s and two GK-84Gs). (Note: Each brigade also
has an organic Reconnaissance Company configured as Close
Reconnaissance Companies.)

The UAV Company operates ten Brazilian-made Abantesma
medium range UAVs, each mounted on an P-88A4 UAV tender,
and four P-88A tactical operations centers, divided into
two platoons, each of five P-88A4s and a P-88A, with two
more TOC vehicles at the company headquarters.

The Long-Range Reconnaissance Company consists of
sixty men, divided into three platoons of sixteen men,
and a small company headquarters element. The
company is issued five P-88C logistics vehicles for
liason and transportation, but any actual missions would
be conducted via airmobile insertion or other special
arrangements. Each platoon of sixteen further
divides into four squads of four (one led by the platoon
leader), typically armed with three GK-84Gs and one K-93
sniper rifle, though squads have a good deal of latitude
in their personal equipment.

Air Defense Regiment

One of these units, technically part of the Hungarian
Air Force, is attached to each Combined Arms Division,
and consists of an Anti-Aircraft Battalion (direct fire
and short range missile armed platforms) and a Surface to
Air Missile Battalion (operating P-88D hover-armored
carriers mounting long-range Ohu missiles).
The Anti-Aircraft Battalion is primarily only an
administrative holding unit, with responsibility for the
brigades' SHORAD companies and battalions' SHORAD
platoons, which are permanently attached out to line
units. The SAM Battalion consists of two companies,
each with ten launcher vehicles for Ohu missiles
and three fire direction/target acquisistion
vehicles. A regimental headquarters company
operates the divisional air defense C4I network, as well
as providing forward air control parties to line units
and integrating divisional operations with the Hungarian
Air Force.

Military Police Battalion

These units are technically a part of the Hungarian
National Police, but, like the Air Defense Regiment, are
permanently attached to Army divisions. Intended
for rear-area security as well as traditional law
enforcement missions, each battalion includes a small
headquarters company and four military police companies.

Each MP company consists of a headquarters (twenty men
and eight range trucks) and three platoons, each of
twenty men and five range trucks. Platoon vehicles
are armed with a mix of GP-90 7.5mm binary machineguns
and A-4 plasma guns (usually four of the former and one
of the latter), while each squad of four men are issued
three GK-84 rifles and one GK-84G. In addition, all
military police personnel are issued P-10 automatic
pistols.

RECRUITING AND THE ARMY REGIMENTAL SYSTEM

The Hungarian Army is an all-volunteer force, made up
of a mix of personnel on "long service" and (4
or more years) and "short service" enlistments
(2 years in an active duty unit, followed by 4 years in a
reserve unit). Enlistment is open to Hungarian
citizens and resident aliens (though the latter requires
a special waiver and background checks), and all job
positions are equally open to men and women based on
"gender blind" performance evaluations and
entry testing. Though ostensibly an egalitarian
system, the gender integration of the military remains a
"hot-button" issue in domestic politics, with
opinions of the existing system and necessary fixes (if
any) being a dividing lines between various political
parties

Most units recruit from geographically specific
regions of the nation, and a given recruit typically
enters one of the regiments affiliated with his or her
home county. There are various exceptions to this
policy, most notably the 4th Parachute Regiment, 19th
Reconnaissance Regiment, and the two regiments of the 3rd
Tank Brigade, all of which have the perogative of
recruiting from military basic training classes at the
end of the training cycle. These units are resented
by other regimental recruiting establishments since their
recruiting policy is seen as "stealing" the
best and brightest.

The Regimental System

Prior to the sweeping reform of the military in the
early and mid 23rd century, the Hungarian Army included
remarkably idiosyncratic regimental system, wherein units
ranging in size from entire brigades down to companies,
and in come cases, platoons, had various historic and
regional regimental identities, sometimes in densely
layered manners, and with no real utility or significance
(beyond providing flourish to some of the most decorative
dress uniforms in Europe).

Beginning in 2240, and with no small amount of
resistance from various parts of the military and
Hungarian society as a whole, the military began
conversion to a "rationalized" regimental
system. Under this system, numerous regimental
lineages were amalgamated or eliminated, with the end
result that each brigade of the army was reduced to a
pair of regimental lineages for its manuever battalions
(other brigade assets, like artillery and reconnaissance
units, were allowed seperate regimental identities,
though these were also consolidated). In most
cases, each such regiment consists of one active service
and one reserve battalion (there are various exceptions
to this rule).

Typically, an enlisted soldier will spend his entire
active-service career in his regiment and, if he or she
so desires, will transfer to that regiment's reserve
battalion on the termination of his active duty
enlistment. Officers, likewise, spend most of their
careers affiliated with their regiment, though it is
common for them to move back and forth between the active
and reserve battalions, both of which have full time
officers and senior NCOs.

Originally, each regiment was allowed a
third reserve battalion to serve as a pool of replacement
personnel, though this system proved to be problematic
and was discontinued in 2263, when all "Third
Battalions" were officially amalgamated into the
various Depot Battalions. Since that time, however,
the various regiments of the army have adopted the custom
of maintaining "Third Battalion Societies" as
social clubs and veterans organizations (again, this
naming practice is subject to some variance -- 4th Para
Regiment supports a "4th Battalion Society" and
the 19th Reconnaissance Regiment a "1st Battalion
Society"). In general, these organizations
serve a purely social function, and the drunken, loutish
middle aged military veteran "on parade" is
something of a stock character in Hungarian humor.
On occasion, however, the Third Battalion Societies have
demonstrated not insubstantial politcal power, overtly or
behind the scenes in Hungarian politics, and membership
in the proper regimental association is often the key to
civil service jobs and local political careers.

RANK STRUCTURE

The Hungarian Army is fairly conventional
in its rank structure, with the single notable exception
that many platoons in the army are led by senior
NCOs. This arrangement has both strengths and
weaknesses compared to the more traditional arrangement
of junior officers learning their craft while running a
platoon, but has been found preferable by the Hungarian
Army both for administrative/career management purposes
as well as tactical reasons. Because of this
policy, Hungarian units tend to have fewer officers than
many comparable units, at least in line units, though an
unanticipated evolution of NCO-led platoons has been an
elaboration of battalion and higher staff organizations.

HUNGARIAN ARMY RANKS

ENLISTED

EQUIVALENT
(RESPONSIBILITY)

COMMISSIONED

EQUIVALENT
(RESPONSIBILITY)

Honvéd

Private

Alhadnagy

(Officer Canditate)

Örvezetö

Lance Corporal
(Fire Team Leader)

Hadnagy

2nd Lieutnenant
(Company/Battalion Staff)

Tizedes

Corporal
(Squad Leader/Vehicle Commander)

Főhadnagy

1st Lieutenant
(Platoon Leader/Company or Battalion Staff)

Szakaszvezetö

Sergeant
(Platoon Senior NCO)

Százados

Captain
(Company Commander)

Örmester

First Sergeant
(Company Senior NCO or Platoon Leader)

Örnagy

Major
(Battalion Adjutant)

Törzsörmester

Sergeant Major
(Battalion Senior NCO)

Alezredes

Lieutenant Colonel
(Battalion CO)

Fotörzsörmester

Senior Sergeant Major
(Brigade/Regiment or Divisional Senior NCO)

Ezredes

Colonel
(Brigade CO)

Vezérőrnagy

Major General
(Divisional Adjutant)

Altábornagy

Lieutenant General
(Divisional CO)

Vezérezredes

General
(Army Chief of Staff)

Tábornagy

Field Marshal
(Head of State, acting as Commander in Chief)

EQUIPMENT

Small Arms and Man-Portable Support Weapons

The standard infantry weapon of the Hungarian Army is
the Gépkarabély Modell 2284 (GK-84), a licensed
copy of the Austrovenian StG-84 binary assault rifle,
which is issued as both a service rifle and personal
defense weapon. Infantry units make extensive use
of the "G" version of the GK-84, fitted with a
30mm grenade launcher. The Hungarian military is
currently debating whether to transition to mass use of
the GK-84G to match newer families of small arms (FAM-90,
Sk-19, etc.), or adopting an entirely new service rifle,
though the economics of either promise to delay any
significant change for some time to come.

In an unusual move, the Magyar Honved has
abandoned the practice of issuing officers
sidearms. Pistols are rarely seen except in the
hands of military police units or special operations
personnel, both of whom use the Stracher P-10 as their
standard weapon (though the P-11M is sometimes seen in
the hands of special operations personnel).

Sturmgewehr-2284 (StG-84) 7.5mm Binary Assault
Rifle

The StG-84 is an Austrovenian design based strongly on
the Brazilian BF-1, though incorporating improvements
(most notably variable muzzle velocity) which were
considered groundbreaking twenty years ago.
Unfortunately, the design was relatively heavy, and quite
expensive, in its time, and failed to find much of an
international market outside of Austrovenian and
Hungarian service. Note that the StG-84 is built
around the same ammunition used by the BF-1 and magazines
are interchangeable.

A seperate version of the weapon, the StG-84G was also
built as a squad level support weapon, incorporating the
now ubiquitous 30mm grenade launcher. The StG-84G
is identical to the basic weapon except that weight is
5.2 kg.

Panzerfaust 85 Anti-Tank Guided Missile

An obsolete Bavarian anti-vehicle missile preceding
the Panzerfaust 93 in that nation's service.
The Panzerfaust 85 is quite similar to that
weapon, with slightly shorter range and a less
sophisticated seeker head. The Panzerfaust 85 is
still common in the Balkans and other non-2nd Tier
states, particularly those using other German equipment
or vehicles.

Armored Vehicles

The majority of the Hungarian Army's armored fighting
vehicles are hover-mobile designs, primarily the Pancéllégpárnásjármü
2297 hovertank (an upgraded version of the AC-8) and
the Pancél Légpárnásjármü 2286 infantry
fighting vehicle (P-86, an upgraded version of the
Bavarian LkPzTr-V, and comparable in many ways to the
Kangaroo IV). A variety of support vehicles are
also in service derived from the chassis of one of these
two main vehicle types, including multiple rocket
launchers, air defense vehicles, etc.

PANCÉL LÉGPÁRNÁSJÁRMÜ-97 "FARKAS" (Armored Hovercraft 2297 "Wolf")

In 2294, the Austrovenian and Hungarian
militaries collectively began soliciting bids for a
vehicle to replace their aging fleet of AC-8 hovertanks,
which were obsolete and becoming economically
undesirable, as well, due to rising operating
costs. A number of different proposals were
examined, with an upgraded and refurbished version of the
existing AFV fleet, proposed by Berliner Schwerindustrie
GmbH, being selected for a number of reasons. The
design, dubbed the Luftkissenpanzer 2297 in
Austrovenian service and the Pancél
Légpárnásjármü 2297 in Hungarian service, was
economical, being based on complete overhauls of the two
nation's existing AC-8s, with performance parameters
entirely acceptable and equal to the needs of both
nations. In addition, the procurement was based on
a teaming agreement wherein much of the retrofits would
be done in Austrovenia and Hungary, which both
governments found politically desirable.

The new vehicle retained the sponson
mounted main ordnance, but replaced the antiquated 8cm
French gun with a more modern German 6cm mass driver (the
same weapon mounted on the LkPz-VIII), which allowed for
an increased onboard ammunition load. Though the
6cm design is also considered past its prime in 2nd Tier
military circles, it remains a very viable weapon system
in the military climate of the Balkans. In
addition, the AC-8's remote turret was completely
reconfigured, adding a 7.5mm point defense machinegun
(replacing earlier, less effective active defense
systems) and replacing the 25mm cannon with an A-4 Plasma
Gun. Finally, the Guiscard Aero-12 missile
system was replaced by the modern German Luchs
anti-armor missile.

To avoid increasing weight (with an
associated loss of endurance, already a major complaint
concerning the AC-8) and to keep costs down, the
conversion did not involve improved armor protection for
the new vehicle. The current level of protection,
like the firepower of the "last generation"
mass driver, is deemed acceptable for current and
projected Austovenian and Hungarian needs.

A companion vehicle to the P-97, the
P-98 is a hover assault carrier based on the AC-8
chassis. The conversion, dubbed the Medve
("Bear") is a fairly no-frills affair,
consisting of removing the 80mm mass driver cannon and
shifting the remote turret forward to allow the vehicle
to carry a crew of two and six infantrymen in some
military semblance of comfort. In lieu of the
existing turret armament, the P-98 carries a CLP-1A
plasma cannon (actually a Bavarian/German copy known as
the Plasmakanone 10) 100 rounds of ammunition are
carried), a 7.5mm binary machinegun, and an external
mount for a single Panzerfaust 85 anti-tank
missile. All vehicles are fitted with
Manchurian-designed Type 30 active defense systems.

The Hungarian and Austrovenian
militaries have, to date, been quite pleased with the
P-98's performance. Cost, however, is somewhat
prohibitive (over three times that of the earlier P-86
HIFV), and it is expected that the vehicle will only
remain in limited use as a complement to the P-86 rather
than an outright replacement.

PANCÉL LÉGPÁRNÁSJÁRMÜ-86A "HIÚZ "(Armored
Hovercraft 2286A "Lynx")

An indigenous upgrade of the venerable
Bavarian LkPzTr-V, similar in most respects to the more
commonly seen Kangaroo IV.

Rather than the dual 25mm/Plasma Gun
turret commonly seen on modern 'Roos, the basic Lynx
mounts a 30mm autocannon, coaxial 7.5mm binary
machinegun, and a single-tube Aero-12 anti-vehicle
missile launcher. While the vehicle lacks the
'Roos' twin 12mm heavy machineguns, it is fitted with six
firing ports (three on the right, two on the left, and
one to the rear) which transported infantry may use.

In addition to the basic infantry
carrier, the Hungarian Army employs a platoon-level fire
support version of the P-86, mounting a CLP-1A plasma
cannon and a 7.5mm coaxial machinegun. In addition,
the chassis is used for air- and missile-defense vehicles
(including company-level SHORAMD vehicles),
multiple-rocket launcher carriers, and various other
specialist vehicles.

* Note: The P-86A can take
targetting information from friendly forces on the same
C3I network, allowing it to fire its Aero-12
missiles out to 14 kilometers range, if another friendly
unit can detect the target.

P-86 Variants

P-86B Fire Support Vehicle: Armed with a
CLP-1A plasma gun (80 rounds carried) and a coaxial 7.5mm
binary machinegun (1000 rounds). Passenger capacity
reduced from six to two, and cargo capacity is reduced to
400 kg. Sensor range is increased to 14 km, and
rangefinder bonus to +2.

P-86D Short Range Air and Missile Defense Vehicle:
Armed with a pair of quad-launchers for Hornisse
short-range air defense missiles and a dual-mount LAM-80
anti-missile laser designed and built by the Brazilian
firm Indústria de Plasma do Amazonas (IPA). The
LAM-80 system and air defense missiles allows the PLJ-86D
to provide effective company and battalion-level air
defense, including limited anti-missile defense.

P-86E Multiple Rocket Launcher: Typical
of such vehicles, the PLJ-86E is fitted with two multiple
rocket launcher racks (8 missiles each), and has a crew
of three (driver, gunner, commander). Cargo
capacity is reduced to 250 kilograms and no reloads are
carried.

P-86E Command Vehicle: Company and
battalion level command vehicle with greatly increased
communications, often used in conjunction with the
PLJ-88A TOC. Crew and armament remain the same as
standard PLJ-86A.

P-88A Tactical Operations Center: Armed
only with a 7.5mm binary point defense system and Type-30
ADS, the PLJ-88A is the standard battalion and higher
command node for heavy forces in the Hungarian
Army. Typical of such vehicles, it uses the basic
PLJ-86 hull, but has an expanded troop compartment to
allow greater freedom of movement, and extensive
communications equipment. Additional versions
include the P-88A1 electronic warfare vehicle, the P-88A2
and A3 mobile radar/lidar vehicles (counter-battery and
air defense sensors, respectively), and the P-88A4 UAV
tender.

P-88B Armored Ambulance: Typically not
fitted with an auto-doc, and designed to carry four
litter cases or up to eight walking-wounded, plus a crew
of four (driver, commander, and two medics).

P-88C Logistics Support Vehicle: Despite
the name, this vehicle is not intended to haul supplies,
but is, instead, used to transport maintenance teams and
anyone else requiring armored mobility on the
battlefield. Specialized versions are also used as
a recovery vehicles and ammunition carriers for other
vehicles (such as the P-86E). Armed with a 7.5mm
binary machinegun.

P-88D Air Defense Vehicle: A long-range air
defense vehicle operated by the Hungarian Air Force,
fitted with eight Ohu missiles.

P-95 Mobile Surgical Vehicle: An
adaptation of the PLJ-88B, featuring a single operating
theater and accomodations for a crew of five (driver,
commander, surgeon, physicians assistant, and
medic). German and French experiences in the War of
German Reunification (studied extensively by the
Hungarian and Austrovenian forces) indicated that a
disturbingly large percentage of critically wounded
personnel entrusted to the care of auto-doc units without
adequate prior intervention and stabilization were dying
or suffering severe complications due to poor diagnostic
and trauma management skills of the auto-doc's AI
routines. Consequently, many of the world's
militaries, including some non-2nd Tier nations, have
revived the concept of placing surgical assets far
forward on the battlefield to allow immediate care to
critically wounded personnel.

NEW ARMORED FIGHTING VEHICLE WEAPONS

Type 30 Active Defense System: A fairly
inexpensive system produced for export by the Manchurian Wu-Xinjian
industrial consortium, primarily for export, though it is
used on some Manchurian AFVs. The Type 30 consists
of two banks of six 75mm launchers, providing
anti-missile protection in the forward 180-degree arc of
either the turret (as on the P-86) or vehicle's
chassis. During an engagement, the Type 30 will
fire one cartridge per incoming missile, with a flat
chance of destroying the missile (the system is entirely
automated). As is common with such systems, the
fragmentation of exploding cartridges can kill or injure
nearby personnel or damage equipment; thus friendly
infantry either tends to stay away from the vehicle, or
the system is disabled by the crew when operating in
close proximity to friendly forces.

APPENDIX A -- THE HUNGARIAN ARMY IN THE KAFER WAR

Hungary has deployed a small "national
prestige" force to the French Arm as part of
Division Europa, the French-sponsored multinational
command participating in the Liberation. Forces
deployed to date have consisted of an armored battle
group, an small electronic warfare company from the 77th
Military Intelligence Regiment, and a platoon of
long-range reconnaissance troops from the 19th
Reconnaissance Regiment's 24th Battalion.

Based around the 3rd Tank Brigade's 1st
Battalion, 30th Tank Regiment (I Zászlóalj,
30. Páncél Ezred "Imre Nagy"), Battle
Group 130 (commonly known as CC-130) is the main
component of the Hungarian contribution to fighting in
the French Arm. Besides the parent battalion's
Headquarters Company and 2nd and 3rd Tank Companies, the
battle group consists of an armored infantry company from
1st Battalion, 1st Mounted Rifle Regiment, an extra
reconnaissance platoon (also drawn from 1-1st Mounted
Rifles, and so equipped with four P-86 HIFVs), and a
provisional support company from the Brigade Logistics
Battalion. The support company is based around the
company headquarters for the battalion's maintenance
company, but adds substantial transportation and medical
assets and deployed with nearly 50% of the Log
Battalion's authorized strength in personnel and
equipment.

APPENDIX B -- THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL POLICE FORCE

Besides providing four military police battalions to
the Hungarian Army, the Hungarian National Police Force (Magyar
Tábori Csendőrség, abbreviated MTC or,
colloquially, "Tasha") is also tasked with a
wartime territorial defense role, primarily intended for
rear-area security and counter-special operations
missions. In keeping with this mission, MTC
personnel receive limited training in typical light
infantry tasks, though level of proficiency is not
especially good. This situation is further
aggravated by the tendency of personnel with military
aptitude or interests to gravitate towards the MP
battalions organic to the units attached to the army.

Each of Hungaries 24 counties fields a County National
Police Brigade (Megye Tábori Csendőrség Brigád)
which, in turn, form four divisions (numbered five
through eight to avoid confusion with army divisions),
each of roughly six brigades. "Brigade"
is something of a misnomer, and typically refers to a
unit of approximately battalion strength.

NOTES

Hungarian Borders: This write-up
departs slightly from 2300AD canon in its
depiction of current Hungarian borders. Hungary,
circa 2300, is understood to contain portions of 20th
century Romania, roughly constituting the Romanian
provinces of Arad, Bihor, Satu Mare, and Timis.
This inclusion seems to produce the slight
"hook" in southern Hungarian-Romanian border
depicted on the European map on page 72 of the Adventurers
Guide, though I suspect that this might, in fact, be
too large a chunk of Romanian territory -- as always the
2300 maps are rather maddening.

In addition, I am assuming that Hungary was able to
regain partial control of the historically Hungarian
province of Vojvodina in the nation of Serbia.
Hungary is posited to control about half of Vojvodina, in
the area north and west of the confluence of the Danube
and Tisa/Tisza rivers, which leaves a salient of Serbian
territory stretching due north from Belgrade to the town
of Kikinda, which is now the northern-most point of
Serbian control. This change is relatively minor,
in game terms, but does redress an existing tension in
the area that would have most likely been resolved in
some manner (most likely unpleasant) in the Twilight War
and Age of Recovery.

Luftkissenpanzertrager-V:This is a stab at the Bavarian designation of the
design which gave rise to the Kangaroo IV and is purely
fictitious.